Relations with the Ill
by Scaff
Summary: Just before the Seal of Earth, Lloyd becomes sick. Each chapter relfects on each character and Lloyd's relationship with them. LloydXmany people Rated for Mild Swearing
1. Regal's Remedies

**Heys! This is a new story. I know, it's been like forEVER since I've submitted a fanfic. I've just been kinda busy. ;**

**Anyway, here's Zelos with the disclaimer.**

**Zelos: Scaff doesn't own Tales of Symphonia. If she did, I would have my very own anime cut scene. OH YEAH!!**

**Now here's Chapter One!**

* * *

The group sat around the slowly dying campfire. Colette humming a soft tune to herself, Genis and Raine were in a discussion about trigonometry, Presea was zoned out and Regal looked at her with great interest. There was a bit of a commotion closer to the bushes. Sheena was trying to fend Zelos off. He was trying to grope her breasts again. Lloyd couldn't help but laugh at the couple. He turned to Raine who was making triangle shapes with her hands. "Hey, Professor?"

"And the tangent- yes Lloyd? What is it?"

"Why do the monsters we face seem to keep on getting harder and harder?"

"That's a very interesting question, Lloyd. Tougher monsters are drawn to tougher opponents though. It may seem ridiculous, but monsters have a great sense of honour," Raine said excitedly. Lloyd scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"So they think that we're really powerful and such?"

"It's more, they _sense_ your power."

"Sense? What do you mean? How do they do that?"

"Well, you see Lloyd, monsters have a sixth sense," Raine started. Lloyd's smile suddenly stopped. He felt a little, weird. His eyelids started to droop. Raine noticed the change in Lloyd's behavior.

"Are you tired Lloyd?"

"Ah, yeah, I guess. I dunno, I just suddenly felt really tired," Lloyd said.

"Is that because this conversation is using too much brain power?" Genis teased. Lloyd glared at his half-elven friend and then laughed. Genis gave him a mischievous grin. As much as he would never admit it, Genis was becoming a bit of a prankster like Zelos. Lloyd rubbed his eyes, smiling weakly.

"So tomorrow we're going to the Temple of Earth, right?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah, and my voluptuous hunny can form another pact!" Zelos said loudly, throwing his arm around Sheena. His actions were rewarded with a whack on the head. "Ouch, that hurt."

"Maybe if you used your head instead of your hands you wouldn't have so many bruises," Sheena said annoyed, concealing a small smile. Zelos laughed.

"What would be the fun in that?" he asked playfully. Colette frowned at Zelos.

"Why do you always do things like that to Sheena if you know she's going to hurt you, Zelos?" Colette asked innocently. A sly grin swept upon Zelos's face as he came closer to Colette.

"Well my little Angel, want me to show you?"

_FWOOSH!_

Genis had cast fireball on the chosen of Tethe'alla. "Cut that crap out," Genis said. He didn't completely know what Zelos was talking about, but he could tell it was something perverted. Lloyd stretched out his arms and yawned, walking up to Regal and away from the commotion. "Hey Regal, do you mind taking the night watch for me?"

"No, not really. But why do you not want to do it, Lloyd?" the convict asked.

"I'm just a little more tired than usual."

"Being on night watch while tired decreases reflexes and safety 26 precent," Presea informed them monotonously. Lloyd frowned slightly at Presea, but didn't think any more of it. Regal nodded to Lloyd.

"It is a little bit early, but sleep is important. Here's your blanket." Lloyd took the red blanket out of Regal's hands and said thanks quietly. He walked over to the edge of the forest and sat down on the cool dirt. It reminded him of when he was younger and used to make statues out of mud and show them to Dirk. The swordsman let out a soft sigh and looked up to the stars. To his disappointment it was a clouded night. Lloyd pouted slightly. He liked having the stars over top of him. They made him feel, safer somehow, as if the stars were looking out for him. "Whatever. It's not like they're actually taking care of me," Lloyd whispered to himself. He fell quickly into a dreamless sleep.

- - -

The black night's cold wind bit Lloyd's face. He bolted upright, panting. His head was throbbing, making the world feel as if it were moving in slow motion. He slowly got up, trying to gain balance in the blind night. He straightened his arms in front of him and walked blindly forward towards where Regal should be. After passing a shrub he saw a small glow to his right, and a figure in front of it. Lloyd shuffled over to the convict who noticed his presence. "Is something bothering you?" Regal asked the teen.

"Uh, I guess. I just kinda feel off," Lloyd said. The way Regal asked about him, it made him think of a certain mercenary. It made him slightly nervous.

"In what way do you feel 'off'?"

"Well, it's just my head. It feels like someone keeps on squeezing it," Lloyd moaned. Regal frowned.

"Hmm, that isn't very good. Do you feel warm?"

"Y-yeah, I do." Regal nodded at this information and took some herbs out of the food wing pack. "What are you doing, Regal?"

"I'm creating a remedy for you."

"Oh really? That's cool. You sure do know a lot about food and herbs and stuff," Lloyd stated quietly.

"Mhm." The two men sat in the dark silence. Lloyd looked at the glowing fire longingly. The small flames licked the sky so elegantly, like a dance. He became so engrossed in the fire that he didn't hear Regal talking to him. The handcuffed man poked Lloyd's arm. The swordsman jumped and turned to see Regal holding a mug. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you."

"N-no, it's fine. I was just thinking. Is that for me?" Lloyd asked, pointing to the mug. Regal nodded and gave the remedy to Lloyd. The teen smiled and took a sip. He perked up.

"Mm, this is good! Usually medicine doesn't taste that great."

"I added some fruits to it to make it sweeter for you."

"Oh, thank you. Heh, Dirk used to do that for me." Lloyd stared at the fire again and sighed.

"Dirk is your father, correct?"

"Yeah. I mean, he isn't the guy who like, 'got it on' with mom, but he's raised me since I was three. I owe so much to him." Regal smiled.

"He sounds like a great man."

"Ah ha ha. No, he's not a man. Dirk is a dwarf."

"…It was a figure of speech. I know he's a dwarf."

"Figure of what?"

"Uh, never mind. Are you feeling better, Lloyd?"

"Yeah, a bit. Thanks Regal, you're pretty cool."

"Ha ha, thank you, Lloyd!" Lloyd smiled at the man. He had never heard Regal laugh before.

"Hey Regal?"

"Yes?"

"When did you learn how to cook?"

"Hmm? Where did that come from?"

"Well, I was just wondering…"

"Alright then. I learnt how to cook from my father. He was a great chef and he taught me how to teach. It was our time together. Every night he would have me help him prepare dinner with him. At first he would only ever trust me to stir the bowls. And even that sometimes would end in disaster. Ah ha ha, oh man. Once I stirred too quickly and I lost control of the bowl. It went flying across the room and broke my mother's favorite vase."

"HA HA HA!! Are you serious?!" Lloyd fell into a fit of laughter that quickly turned into a coughing fit. Regal gave Lloyd his mug to drink. Lloyd took a huge gulp quickly and he started to relax. Lloyd gave Regal a smile. "I, I'm sorry Regal."

"Don't be. It's not your fault that you're ill, now is it?"

"Yeah. I'm glad I got to talk to you. I never knew that you were fun," Lloyd said. He got up and turned back to his blanket. Regal was left by the fire's glow.

"I'm fun, aren't I?"

* * *

**I'm not much of a Regal fan, but I think I did him some justice here. What do you guys think? See any mistakes? Like it? Dislike it? REVIEW PLEASE!!**

**-Scaff**


	2. An Angel's Touch

**Heys!! Here I am with Chapter 2. I finished it last night when I couldn't fall asleep.**

**Arisu Tsuranu: Thank you so much for my ONLY COMMENT. . She get's a Genis Cookie! D Comment to get a Genis Cookies, damnit!**

**DISCLAIMER ZELOS: Scaff doesn't own Tales of Symphonia**

* * *

The morning light broke through the forest's clearing. Genis had been making breakfast since early that morning to let Regal have some sleep. Sheena had also woken up early. She tugged at her gloves nervously and sat beside Genis. "What's cooking, Genis?" Sheena asked.

"Sausage, omelets and hash browns 'cause today's the big day!" Genis grinned. Sheena smiled to the half-elf.

"Thanks Genis, you're a good friend. Mmm, this smells really good!!" Sheena said. The breakfast's delicious fumes wavered through the clearing, slowly awaking all of their companions. All but one button clad swordsman. The group was about to eat their breakfast when Raine noticed Lloyd's absence.

"That's strange, Lloyd is usually awake by now, especially since he went to bed early," the healer said. Colette nodded in agreement. "I'll go wake him up," Raine said. She put down her plate of food and walked over to Lloyd. He was shivering under his blanket with his knees tucked into his body, muttering something under his breath. Raine shook Lloyd's shoulders. "Lloyd, wake up. It's breakfast now," she said softly.

"Nnnummph, huh? Wha, huh? Professor, what time is it?" the teen groaned.

"We're having breakfast right now," she said sadly. Raine placed her hand on Lloyd's forehead and flinched. "Lloyd!! You're burning up!"

"C-can't you heal me?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I heal magical alignments and physical wounds, not viruses."

"Lloyd's sick?" Colette exclaimed, startling Raine. She turned around to see that the entire group was behind her looking worried. Raine nodded her head sadly.

"Well, there's a doctor in Flanior," Sheena said.

"That wouldn't help. Unless you have a lot of money and are extremely important, it usually takes a few days for him to see you. And since the Church is against me, it might be a slight problem," said Zelos sadly.

"I gave him a remedy last night, but since it didn't work, I think I may have an idea of what it is," Regal said.

"And that is?" sighed Zelos.

"Scarlet Syndrome."

"What?! Are you serious? That old disease?" exasperated Sheena.

"Scarlet Syndrome? What's that?" asked Genis, surprised that he had never heard of it.

"Scarlet Syndrome: an old and more serious version of the flu. SS is extremely rare now because of vaccinations and genetic immunity. SS is also non-contagious," Presea informed monotonously. Genis frowned at pink haired girl.

"Presea, do you know the cure?" Raine inquired. The girl shook her head. "Well then, now that I know what Lloyd is suffering from, I'll take a Rheaird to Sybak to look up the cure and obtain it."

"Raine, you might need some protection and someone who is more acquainted with the area. I'll go with you," Regal said. Raine nodded in agreement.

"This isn't going to be one of my more exciting trips," she muttered under her breath. The two older members packed a few apple gels and left on one of the Rheairds. As the bird-type machine flew away Lloyd muttered quietly, "Good luck." He soon fell asleep.

-- -- --

"We should probably take turns looking after him," Sheena said as the sun started to rise. The monsters were sure to follow. The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

"So who will go first taking care of sleeping beauty? My Pink Rosebud, my Voluptuous Hunny, our Little Angel, or the brat?" Zelos asked. Genis replied by using wind blade on the swordsman. "See? That's why you're the brat!"

"I-I'll take care of Lloyd first!" stammered Colette quickly. The rest of the group looked at her in question. "I, I mean, it's early in the morning, and um, I can help when you become more tired." Colette laughed nervously. Zelos smiled and put his arm around the other Chosen.

"That's so sweet that you're looking out for me!" he said. Sheena sighed and dragged Zelos away from Colette. Presea and Genis followed, leaving Colette alone with Lloyd. She walked over to his sleeping body. His fists were clenched and his hair was in a sweaty mess on his face. The angel kneeled down closer to her friend, sweeping his hair out of his face. His expression softened at this and his hand reached outwards, touching Colette's foot. She flinched slightly at the action. Colette had never seen Lloyd like this before. So open and exposed. Even when he was sleeping on their journey Lloyd could still awake at a moment's notice and defend himself. Half of Colette's body was screaming at her to take advantage of Lloyd in his condition. The other half told her to run away. Instead, Colette stayed perfectly still, letting Lloyd keep his hand on Colette.

"Mm, Colette…?" Lloyd's raspy voice whispered. Colette gasped.

"Y, you're awake?"

"Kind of?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit."

"Ah, oh, I'm sorry!" Colette started to tear up. Her best friend was in pain and there was nothing she could do. She really was a pathetic chosen.

"You don't have to apologize all the time, Col-ette…" Lloyd coughed her name. The chosen frowned at her friend. She put her hand on Lloyd's forehead. It was hot, but she didn't move it. It wasn't so long ago that she couldn't feel anything. Lloyd sighed in relief.

"Your hand feels so cold," he whispered.

"O-oh, do you want me to take it off?"

"No, please, don't. Keep it on," he said, putting his hand on Colette's arm. Her heart started to race at this. She blushed a deep red while trying to keep still. Lloyd opened his eyes to see her blushing. He smiled weakly.

"Remember the time Genis had the chicken pox?" Colette asked. Lloyd laughed weakly, his laugh soon turning into a cough.

"Yeah, he looked so funny with those spots!"

"And then he tried to pretend he didn't have them so he could go to school!!"

"Man, I still can't believe he'd want to go to school. I liked staying home with Dirk. He'd make me a dwarven soup and I'd get to play with Noishe if I felt better during the day."

"Really? I never knew that."

"Y, yeah…" Lloyd started to drift back asleep.

"Oh, you should get your rest. I'm sorry I kept you up!" Colette said flustered. Lloyd smiled at the angel.

"You're cute when you're blushing," he whispered softly before drifting to sleep.

* * *

**Like it? Hate it? See a mistake? See none? Want a Genis Cookie? Then just click that Review Button!!**


	3. Summoning a Hug

**Here we go! Thanks for the reviews!**

**Li-chan: No, I made Genis SHAPED cookies. Was it good?  
****Ruby Tyra: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like 'em.  
Usagi-no-Kasai: I'm glad you like these. Don't worry, I made a lot of Genis cookies.  
Arisu: Yay for another Review!! Yesh, Genis is soo adorable!**

**DISCLAIMER ZELOS: Well, I own a copy of Tales of Symphonia. XD**

**Review for your choice of a Zelos or Sheena Cookie!**

* * *

"Hey Colette, it's time for lunch!" Sheena cried. Colette stood up and gave one last glance to Lloyd. He was peaceful at the moment, caught up in his dreams. She smiled softly and then walked over to Sheena. The ninja gave her a sandwich to eat. "This is really good, Sheena!" Colette exclaimed. The ninja smiled.

"Thanks. I added some tomatoes this time."

"It's as delicious as you!" said Zelos. He grinned stupidly before getting pushed over by Sheena. Genis and Colette shook their heads.

"Were there a lot of monsters?" asked Colette.

"Uh huh. It's because we're so close to the Seal of Earth. Monsters are drawn to it's mana," Genis said.

"Oh, I'm sorry I wasn't with you guys to help! Were you okay? How many monsters did you face?"

"5 battles in total with minimal injuries," Presea informed. Genis grinned.

"I learned a new ability too!" Genis exclaimed. Colette clapped her hands together.

"Oh, that's so cool! What tech did you master?"

"Tidal Wave!!" Genis punched his arm up in the air happily. They ate their sandwiches in happiness. Colette put the last of her sandwich in her mouth.

"So who's going to look after Lloyd now?" she asked.

"I think Sheena should. She received the majority of the hits in our battles," said Presea. Sheena scratched the back of her head in thanks.

"It sure is a good thing that Lloyd has an exsphere or else he would be in a lot more pain," Sheena said.

"How is Lloyd doing?" Genis asked.

"Well, he seems to be doing okay, except he sometimes sees things. It's a little weird, like once he woke up and asked me why I was wearing such a strange hat, and then fell back asleep," informed Colette.

"Weird. Well, I guess I'll clean up for you guys," Sheena said. She got up and started to clean off the plates using Undine's water while the rest of the group went farther off to defend the campsite. The ninja walked over to the sleeping swordsman and sat down beside him. She closed her eyes and took the time to meditate. She calmed her entire body, feeling the mana around settle. As she was about to empty her mind, she heard Lloyd suddenly have a coughing fit. Sheena snapped out her calm state and looked at Lloyd. He was starting to cough up spit.

"Damn it Lloyd! Here, drink this," she said, giving him his cup that was beside his pillow. It was half full. Sheena helped Lloyd sit up and he had a few sips of water.

"Thanks Sheena."

"No problem. I'm sure that Raine will be back soon with the cure," Sheena said. Lloyd smiled at his friend.

"So anyway, what's the story with you and Zelos?"

"Huh? Well that's random," said Sheena.

"Well, do you actually not like him, or what?"

"I've known Zelos for a few years now. At first I like him. He was really nice to me and cared a lot about me. I thought that he was sweet and caring and funny. But then I was out with him one day in Meltokio, and he totally blew me off to hit on some other random girls. Ever since then, I've known that I can't trust that he really does care about me. He's just so fake and stupid all of the time. He's a friend, but I dunno. It's complicated." Lloyd nodded at this slowly.

"The thing is Sheena; he does care about you I think. I think he just doesn't show it."

"You might be right, but it's that not knowing that bugs me. I know that I can trust you. You're loyal and caring and brave, not a womanizer, a liar and a pervert," Sheena said. She slapped herself mentally when she saw Lloyd blush at this. "I mean, I don't uh, well like…"

"It, its okay Sheena, I'm glad you trust me. I'm glad we met you, that I met you. Imagine if it were anyone else who was sent to Sylvarant. We might have never met. And that would be awful. I wouldn't know what a great friend I would be missing out on," Lloyd said hoarsely. The summoner smiled.

"Yeah, or if Colette wasn't so clumsy, then I might have actually taken her out and I'd still be alone."

"Yeah, but you aren't. You always got us, right?"

"You're a nice guy, Lloyd. I feel bad that you had to get Scarlet Syndrome."

"Don't feel bad about me, Sheena. Really, I'll be fine," coughed the button clad teen. Sheena laughed.

"Right. And I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Um, maybe?" The two of them laughed. The afternoon sun was starting to drop from the sky and kiss the mountain tops. A yellow-orange light filled up the clearing in the forest, falling just to Lloyd's left. Suddenly, the twin swordsman put his head in his hands. Sheena's face dropped.

"What's wrong?"

"My, my head. It suddenly started to hurt a lot, like someone keeps on pinching the sides of my head," said Lloyd. He started to moan in pain. Panic struck Sheena. What was she supposed to do?

"Uh, uh, um, hold on Lloyd," she said. She took one of her gloves off and rolled it up. Then she used Undine's power to make it damp with cold water. "H-here, this might help your head." Lloyd took the rolled up glove and put it against his forehead. He sighed in relief.

"Thanks Sheena. It didn't get rid of it, but it really does help." Sheena smiled.

"No problem. I just want you to feel better."

"Yeah," whispered Lloyd. Sheena sat down closer to Lloyd and gave him a hug. The swordsman was surprised, but accepted it graciously. Sheena hugged him tighter. Her heart was filling up with a lifting feeling, like she could float away to the heavens.

"Never stop being you, Lloyd."

* * *

**Aww, Shelloyd fluff! X3 See any mistakes? Love it? Hate it? Revieww!!**


	4. Chosen Conversation

**Yay, I've finally finished! Sorry it took so long. Mid Terms. They suck. XD I'm still studying for them. Anyway, here are my AWESOME Review-ers!**

**Arisu: Aww, poor Zelos' face! XD I'm sure he didn't mind. Thanks again for the review. It made me laugh, you're so funny!  
Ezequielhl: Thanks for the review! What cookie did you want? Oh, here's a Sheena for you. XD  
Li-Chan: XD so mean to Zelos! I like Shelloyd more than Colloyd, personally. Here, I'll give you a Sheena cookie.  
Usagi-no-Kasai: Mm, you are right; there wasn't much drama. Thanks for the critique! Here's your Zelos cookie. X3**

**Zelos: Oww, I dun wanna do the disclaimer!! Arisu and Li-Chan were mean to me!! cries Fine, here it is. Scaff doesn't own Tales of Symphonia. She really wants to though.**

**NOTE: This chapter contains MILD Yaoi if you're looking for it. If you don't like Yaoi, then just skip it. **

* * *

"So the hallucinations are getting worse?" asked Zelos.

"Yeah… he started to see small things first like rocks that weren't there, flowers dying, but it just keeps on getting bigger and bigger. Like before you guys came back, he saw my shadow trying to attack me," explained Sheena as she took another spoonful of her curry. The group sat around a campfire. Although there was still light out, it was only a matter of time before it became dark.

"That's awful!" Colette cried.

"It's to be expected from Scarlet Syndrome. However, it's still slightly disturbing," said Presea quietly. Genis nodded in agreement.

"While it sucks that Lloyd is sick, at least we're getting some more experience before the Seal of Earth, right you guys? So some good is coming out of this!" Zelos exclaimed, trying to get everyone to cheer up. The group glared at the Casanova. "What? It's true!"

"This is just some game to you?" Genis shouted, standing up.

"No, I never said that. I'm just saying that you should look at the bright side of things. Don't be so angry, brat."

"I think Zelos is right. We should look at the good and not at the bad. But at the same time, we have to take care of Lloyd," Colette said.

"I agree with Colette," said Presea.

"M-me too, Presea!" Genis stammered, blushing hard.

"Zelos, why don't you look after Lloyd and try to spread your happiness to him? We'll chase off any remaining monsters and tell them to scram for the night," Sheena stated.

"Whatever you say, my summoning babe! Hey, that rhymed!"

"Let's go guys," Sheena said, ignoring Zelos completely. The rest of the group nodded and walked away from the campfire. Zelos sighed and dropped his shoulders. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood. Seriously, when I'm not around anymore, what are they going to do to keep their mood up?" Zelos said. He walked over to Lloyd, leaving the dirty dishes in a pile. The button clad teen was lying on his back, looking at the sky.

"Whatcha looking at?" Zelos asked.

"Oh, hey Zelos. You're looking after me now?"

"Yup. Just call me babysitter Zelos!" he said, grinning stupidly. Lloyd frowned.

"I'm not a kid…" he muttered. Zelos sat down beside Lloyd.

"I'm just having some fun with you."

"Do you ever act serious?" Lloyd asked. Zelos leaned over Lloyd, his face obstructing Lloyd's view of the sky and his long hair dangling on Lloyd's body. The chosen stuck out his tongue. Lloyd laughed. "I'll take that as a no," he said.

"You better not! I'm the fun-loving, awesome sauce chosen!"

"Ha ha. You're always so happy. Why is that?" Lloyd asked. Zelos took his head out of Lloyd's face and lay down beside him.

"Are you saying you don't trust me?"

"No, you're avoiding the question."

"Well, life should just be as good as possible, right? Life's short, might as well make the most out of it."

"Yeah, but you can't be happy all of the time. I mean, what about when bad things happen? Or have they not happened to you, since you're the perfect Tethe'allan Chosen?"

"Oh, if only I were," Zelos sighed, looking up at the sky.

"Is that a tone of sadness?"

"Maybe. Eh heh, I've had my fair share of bad times. I'm the chosen. I never asked to be it. If I had a choice, it'd give it up. I look at what Colette has to go though, and you know what? I could never do that. Sacrifice myself for the world? I don't care about the world more than myself. And the angel transformation looks so painful. The only thing I see that's good is the super strength, eyes and hearing. And flying would be nice. But the price is just too big. I'd rather just chill, kick up my feet and have someone else do it for me."

"So if Tethe'alla was in decline, you wouldn't want to save it? Even though you'd be the only one who can do it?"

"No way. Everyone acts all righteous, but they really aren't. Look at Sylvarant: they expect Colette to save the world for them while they just kick back and relax. How pathetic, and what a cruel thing to do to such a cutie!"

"I, I'd never thought of that," Lloyd mumbled.

"Not many people do, but its okay. Don't feel bad Lloyd, you're a good guy."

"Zelos… thanks. Hmm? What's that?"

"What's what?"

"There's a great light over there and a giant bird is emerging from it. It's calling for me…" said Lloyd. He started to get up while saying this.

"What are you talking about? There's no light… this must be a hallucination! Lloyd, stop! It isn't real," Zelos shouted. Lloyd was starting to make shaky steps forward. The sun had almost set; there was little light in forest.

"But it looks so real," Lloyd said. He continued to walk, hobbling around. The teen tripped over his feet and started to fall face first into the hard ground. Zelos sprinted over and quickly grabbed Lloyd from behind. Lloyd looked up to Zelos, and then back to the forest. "The light is gone," whispered Lloyd.

"Come on Lloyd, you should get back to bed."

"Zelos?"

"Yeah?"

"You do know that you're holding your arms around me, right?" Zelos blushed at this and immediately let go. Lloyd was also blushing excessively. They both coughed awkwardly and turned from each other.

"We're, um, still manly though," Zelos said.

"This from the guy who wears pink?"

"Real men wear pink, Lloyd. It's a fact!" Lloyd laughed at this.

"Okay, I'm going to go back to bed. I feel really tired."

"Awesome possum. I'm going to go wash my vest."

"Why?"

"You can't get girls if you don't look the part, now can you?" As he got under the blanket, Lloyd's sigh turned into a yawn.

"Night Zelos," Lloyd mumbled.

"Night kid," Zelos said. He then walked over to campfire to get soap and water. Lloyd gazed at the stars before falling asleep.

"Is it wrong that I liked the hug from Zelos?"

* * *

**Aww, I love myself a little Zelloyd sometimes. It can be so cute!  
Loved it? Hated it? Read it? See any mistakes? Any critique? Then Review and have a nice Presea or Regal Cookie!**


	5. Midnight Swordfight

**Wow, I finished this before the weekend. Huzzah!**

**Just a warning for anyone who hasn't finished the game: this chapter has MAJOR spoilers!! If you don't want the game spoiled, then skip this chapter. **

**Reviews are at the bottom of the chapter.**

**DISCLAIMER ZELOS: Scaff doesn't own Tales of Symphonia. But she's working on that.**

* * *

The group had come back. After saying good night to Lloyd, they went to sleep. Zelos was still looking after Lloyd. He yawned sleepily and looked at Lloyd. He was still asleep. "I guess I'll go to bed soon," he said to the sleeping teen. The night sky was still. There were no clouds in the sky, only a very quick bird zipped across the sky. Wait, a bird? Zelos turned to the directions of the moving figure. It emerged from the forest and gave a nod to Zelos. The chosen nodded back. In those two seconds an entire conversation had been said. Zelos would pretend that he hadn't seen it and just go to bed. "Just don't do anything bad to him," Zelos whispered as he went left Lloyd, asleep and helpless.

"I never would," he said in return. His hard eyes immediately softened when he turned to the sleeping teen. He kneeled over his body silently and placed his hand on Lloyd's forehead. It was hot. He flinched when he saw Lloyd's eyes open.

"Huh? …Kratos?"

"Shh… go back to sleep Lloyd," the mercenary whispered.

"What are you doing here? Are you going to take Colette away?"

"No. I'm not interested in the chosen."

"Who are you interested in then?"

"You." Lloyd was taken aback by this. He sat up.

"Me? What's so special about me? Are you after my exsphere as well? Because if you are, you can't have it," Lloyd said intensely.

"I would never want it Lloyd. It's important that you have it. It enhances you skills, and is a keepsake of your mother. Anna died because of it."

"Thanks… wait, how do you know my mom's name?" Lloyd asked. Kratos slapped himself mentally. His expression stayed cool as he quickly thought of a reason.

"I saw her grave before, remember? Her name was on it," he said.

"Oh, right…" The two stayed silent for a moment. An awkward silence rifted between them. "So, why are you interested in me?" Lloyd asked again.

"…"

"Kratos?"

"Because… I care about you. I want to see your swordsmanship grow. I want to see you grow as a human being. You have good ideals," the mercenary explained.

"R-really? Do you think I'm stronger? Well, you haven't actually seen me fight…"

"I have. You are getting much better."

"When did you see me fight?"

"Cruxis wants me to see what you're doing. Your group is causing us problems sometimes," lied Kratos. His voice stayed perfectly smooth. Well, it wasn't a complete lie. He was watching over Lloyd. Just, without Cruxis' permission. He smiled softly and ruffled his hand through Lloyd's hair.

"I don't like you being my enemy."

"I can't say I particularly enjoy it either. However, I must stay with Cruxis for the time being."

"That's not fair," complained Lloyd.

"Life cannot always be fair. However, let me tell you this: I believe in your ideals. I believe in you, Lloyd."

"Kratos, when we were on our journey together, I saw you as…"

"…"

"…as a big brother. You were always taking care of me. I miss that. I miss you so much, Kratos."

"I miss you too," Kratos whispered. Lloyd slowly got up and unsheathed his swords. Kratos raised his eyebrow at the teen. "What are you doing?"

"I, I wanna train with you. Like old times!"

"Lloyd, you can barely stand. How do you expect to fight me?"

"I might have Scarlet Syndrome, but I can still fight! C'mon, I can take you!" With this, Lloyd got into a defensive position. He could barely hold his swords properly, but a grin had spread across his face. Kratos sighed and shook his head. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to push Lloyd when he was sick. But he looked so happy. It reminded him of Lloyd when he was younger and always wanted to fight with him.

"_Come!! Lez fight, fight!!" Lloyd cried._

"_Lloyd, you're sick. You can't fight if you're sick. You have to rest," Kratos sighed. He gave Lloyd a glass of orange juice. "Come on, drink this."_

"_Noo!! Not untiw we fight!!" Lloyd insisted, stomping his foot down. He looked so adorable when he was trying to look serious._

"_Fine, we'll have a quick fight," Kratos sighed. He gave Lloyd his wooden sword and took out his wooden 'for-Lloyd' sword. Lloyd's eyes widened at the sight. He sniffed deeply and grabbed his sword._

"_Yay!! Pwactice time! Pwactice wit daddy!"_

"_Here, try to attack me," Kratos said. _

"Alright Lloyd, let's do a quick practice. You may begin," Kratos said. Lloyd ran unsteadily and swung his sword towards the auburn's shin.

_Lloyd wobbled over and swung his wooden right in front of him, attempting to his father's shin. _

Kratos avoided the attack effortlessly.

_The small boy furrowed his brow and attempted to swing at the other leg as quickly as possible, to psych out Kratos._

Kratos started to protect his other shin when Lloyd started to swing his sword to Kratos' arm, his left sword protecting him as he did it. The angel was surprised by Lloyd's sudden attack, but protected himself regardless. Lloyd then used his left sword to attack the man's other arm. The sword connected.

_The wooden sword swung upwards suddenly, hitting Kratos in the groin. His eyes bulged out and he kneeled over slightly. "Good, good job Lloyd. Now let's go inside. Your nose is running."_

"_Wunning? Were id go?"_

"_Inside to see mommy."_

"_Mummy!!" Lloyd cried. He wobbled over to the house quickly. Kratos laughed at the sight._

"See, I'm getting better," Lloyd whispered. Kratos nodded in agreement and sheathed his sword.

"You're sweating and shivering. You should sit down."

"But, I want to train with you, Kratos! I want to become stronger."

"Become stronger when your body is in the right condition. If you push yourself too hard, it will take longer for you to get better," informed Kratos. He held Lloyd's arm, and gestured to him to sit down on the log. Lloyd did so reluctantly, and Kratos walked away.

"W-wait! Were are you going? Don't leave yet," Lloyd called. There was no answer. Lloyd dropped his shoulders and looked at the ground. He sighed deeply and coughed. The cool air was still, cooling Lloyd's body off. His legs and arms were aching. Sitting down felt good. "I guess he's right," Lloyd mumbled annoyed.

"Of course I'm right. Drink this." Lloyd looked up to Kratos standing in front of him, holding a mug. The teen couldn't help but smile. Kratos held his hand out and gave the mug to Lloyd. He sipped the hot chocolate cautiously. His eyes lit up.

"Wow, this is really good! It's better than any hot chocolate I've ever had before. What did you add to it? For some reason it reminds me of mom…"

"I added cinnamon. I had a feeling you would enjoy it." Lloyd smiled and drank the rest quickly. He then felt very sleepy and crawled over to his blanket. Kratos smiled softly. Kratos let is wings out. A small blue light emanated from the shining translucent feathers. He was about to leave when Lloyd's voice stopped him.

"Kratos, I have a question."

"Yes?"

"Are you, was this entire thing a hallucination?" Kratos said nothing and flew up into the night sky. Lloyd watched the angel slowly disappear from sight and fell asleep. Kratos smiled as he flew away.

"Feel better, my son."

* * *

**AWW WASN'T THIS JUST ADORABLE?!**

**Review tiiime!  
Usagi-no-Kasai: I'm glad I portrayed Zelos well. Yeah, he's a strange cookie. Also, "awesome sauce" is my favorite saying, and I just could see Zelos saying it.  
Cloud-Sephiroth: It makes me smile that you like my story. If you want a Kratos cookie, just review this chapter! X3 Here, I'll give you a Regal cookie. gives  
Arisu: YAY! I'm glad you accepted my small bit of Zelloyd. And about a Kratos chapter: I had this chapter in mind since the begining, but I didn't want to spoil it for anyone, so I never commented on that part of your past reviews. I hope it lives up to your Kratos expectations!!  
Sliver of Time: Thanks for the support! I like those pairing aswell, but I do like Shelos the most. You didn't say what cookie you wanted. here, take a Presea cookie.  
Li-Chan: I love to bake cookies! It makes everyone happy. XD I'm glad you enjoyed the Zelloyd fluff. And rhyming FTW!!  
Ruby Tyra: Here's the next chapter for you. Thanks for the review! And uh, take a Regal cookie!  
Killerbunbun: Yeah, I like fluff. It's so nice!! X3**

**Like it? Hate it? Read it? Review it!! And for this chapter, I'm throwing in a free cookie package! You get Kratos, Yuan, Mithos and Martel for only ONE review! WHAT A DEAL!  
**


	6. Friendly Risotto

**Aii! I'm SO sorry about the wait. I had mid terms, so I couldn't do any writing. **

**Reviews from my AWESOME readers!  
Cloud-Sephiroth: Thanks! Yeah, a bit of Anna would've been nice. But I want to focus mostly on the one character and Lloyd.  
Killerbunbun: Thank you for reviewing! I hope you liked your cookies.  
Usagi-no-Kasai: I'm glad you liked it!! I think that my last chapter was my best so far.  
Ruby: A lot of people don't know it, but I'm also an avid Yuan fangirl. XD  
Li-Chan: XD I hope you didn't break anything in your sugar high.  
RyujiIshida: Yeah, the game doesn't have enough scenes between the two of them. And yes, it's pre Cruxis Mithos.  
Prosser: Yup! Thanks for the review!!**

**And onwards with the story!**

* * *

Sheena smiled sheepishly as she scraped her breakfast into the bushes. Zelos gave his serving to Noishe, who rejected it completely. Presea ate it without a word and reluctantly swallowed it down her throat. Genis sighed and shook his head. "Colette, just face it. Raine's recipes don't turn out, no matter who prepares it."

"Well, a candy omelette sounded like a good idea," Colette said, smiling weakly. Zelos smiled wrapped his arms around Colette. "My poor little angel! Is the brat being mean to you?"

"Who are you calling a brat?!"

"Uh, you? Hey, how about you baby-sit Lloyd while I have some quality time with my beauties here," Zelos suggested. Genis narrowed his eyes. Sheena hit Zelos on the head. "Don't worry Genis. I'll keep him in check," Sheena said. Genis smiled at the ninja.

"Thanks Sheena." Sheena smiled in return. She took Zelos by the ear and left. Colette followed, skipping happily. Presea turned to Genis before leaving. She gave him a soft smile. "Don't worry Genis. I can take care of myself." With that, she turned from the blushing half elf and followed the others. Genis stood there in a trance, replaying that moment in his head.

"Genis? I, I'm hungry."

"Huh? What? Who's there?!" Genis jumped into the air and spun around to face Lloyd. The swordsman's shoulders were slouched in front of him, his eyelids were drooping. "Lloyd, you look awful!" Genis exclaimed. The teen laughed lightly.

"I _feel_ awful. But still, do you think you could make me something?"

"Sure think, Lloyd! How about I make you some spaghetti with tomato sauce?" Genis snickered.

"T-tomato sauce? Uhh, let's pass on that one." Genis laughed.

"I thought so. What about some risotto?" Lloyd's face melted into a smile at the thought.

"Yeah, please Genis!" The half elf grinned and started to gather the ingredients. Lloyd smiled at his friend. His life really made a turn for the better when they became friends. Lloyd wobbled over to his blanket and wrapped it around himself. Despite his blanket, Lloyd kept on shivering. He wobbled slowly back towards the fire and sat down on a log. "Lloyd, do you remember when we stayed late in Iselia that one time?"

"When you were supposed to sleep over at my house?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah! We stayed behind because you got in trouble for talking in your sleep. Well, more like yelling. What were you dreaming about again?"

"It was a nightmare, believe it or not," Lloyd said, slightly embarrassed.

"About…?"

"Me finding my dad, my real dad, and he was really cool, but then a shadow with black angel wings came and took my dad away. I cried and tried to reach out for him, but the shadow was too far away and the shadow swallowed my dad."

"That's, that's so sad."

"Yeah, it's a little embarrassing. But it was just a dream, right?"

"Um, I guess… But then after Raine gave you a lecture about distracting the class we talked to the guards at the gate for a while."

"A while? We talked with them for an hour! We had some big argument about Noishe being a dog or not."

"I still say he can't be a dog. He's freaking GREEN AND WHITE!"

"Err, well, he's just an unknown species. That's all."

"Riiiight. But then it was really dark out, remember?"

"Yeah, the sun had almost completely set, and we were both so freaked out. We ran through the forest screaming, drawing the monsters' attention instead!"

"Yeah, and then we got lost!!" Genis shouted excitedly. Lloyd laughed with his friend and kneeled over. His face became pale and chills crawled down his spine. Genis' eyes widened. He was beside his friend in a flash. "Lloyd, Lloyd! Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I don't really know. I'm sorry Genis. I'm just suddenly so cold…"

"It's okay. You'll feel better soon. Raine'll be back with the medicine soon, I'm sure. Here, I've finished the risotto," Genis said. He took a bowl and scooped some warm risotto into it. He gave it to Lloyd, who accepted it happily. The warmth of the bowl seemed to run up his arms and start his blood circulating again. He swallowed the warm risotto. The delicious food slid down his throat and warmed the teen from the inside out. A smile spread across his face.

"Thanks a ton, Genis," Lloyd said softly. The magic user smiled.

"No problem. Are you feeling a little better?"

"Yeah… um, am I hallucinating again, or is the fire actually changing colours?" Genis looked over to the fire. It licked the empty risotto pot in flashes of orange and red.

"That's you hallucinating."

"Oh, that's not good…" Lloyd mumbled. Genis nodded in agreement.

"Hallucinations are a side effect of something wrong with you mentally. Maybe it's because you're so dumb?"

"Ha ha, very funny," Lloyd stated, his eyes narrowing at Genis. The boy just laughed.

"You always give me that face when you don't completely understand what I'm saying."

"That's because it's usually an insult." Lloyd shuffled closer and Genis and started to rub his head with his fist.

"Noooo!!! Not a noogie!!" Genis cried, trying to get out of Lloyd's grip. Lloyd had his right arm around the half elf and used his left hand to give him the noogie. Lloyd smiled mischievously until he saw Genis playing with his kendama.

"Uh oh…"

"Aqua Edge!" Genis cried. Two blades of water splashed Lloyd's face. The swordsman released his grip on the half elf and laughed.

"Aw, man! You got my blanket wet!!"

"It's okay. You can just use Zelos' blanket," Genis offered as he handed over a pink blanket that had "Sexy and Loving it!" written on it.

"Thanks…" Lloyd mumbled sheepishly. However, Lloyd turned away from Genis and the blanket. Genis pouted.

"What the crap, Lloyd?! If you don't want Zelos' blanket, you could at least be nice about it!" Lloyd answered by moaning slightly. He was kneeled over with his hands on the log supporting his body. "Lloyd? Are you okay?" Genis walked around Lloyd's body to see that he had thrown up on the ground.

"I, I'm sorry Genis. The risotto was good, really. I just couldn't help it…" Lloyd looked up to his friend with bloodshot eyes. Few tears stained his cheeks.

"Oh Lloyd. No, don't feel bad. Just take Zelos' blanket and go back to bed, okay? I'll clean up after you." Lloyd looked up to his friend and smiled weakly as he slowly dragged his feet to his part of the clearing. He quickly fell asleep as soon as he rested his eyes. Genis hung up Lloyd's blanket to dry. He noticed something in the blanket… something glittering. Something… blue? Genis picked a blue and glistening feather out of the stitches in of the blanket. Genis was confused with the feather, but walked it over to Lloyd and placed it on him. A smile slowly spread across Lloyd's face. Genis walked back to the campsite humming to himself.

"I'm glad I can finally pay you back for taking care of me all of these years."

* * *

**I have to admit, this wasn't my best chapter. If anyone has any tips for me, please review to help me out! Liked it? Bored? Read it? REVIEW IT! This time you get a Colette or Tabatha cookie!**


	7. Emotional Flow

**I'm back with another chapter! (Finally) Sorry it took so long. I... I got Brawl. It's so DAMN good. It just, sucked me up. Eh heh heh?**

**Reviews!  
Li-Chan: Ha ha! Oh, fathers can be the worst sometimes.  
Killerbunbun: Thank you! And Colette with horns? Huh?**  
**Ruby Tyra: I like Tabatha more as well. And GO YUAN! XD  
Arisu: Huzzah for the Noogies!  
Usagi-no-Kasai: Here's a Presea chapter for ya.  
Onihime: Aww, you can have a cookie. But review for now on instead of lurk, okay? Thank you!  
Elenturi: Well, read on to see how Presea makes him feel. **

**Zelos: Scaff DOES own Tales of Symphonia. XD**

* * *

"Genis?"

"Mm? Huh?"

"Genis you were asleep. Zelos has prepared lunch for us," Presea's monotone informed. Genis shook his head. He realized that he must have fallen asleep while watching Lloyd. He quickly stole a glance back at Lloyd. He looked fine. So nothing bad must have happened, right? He sheepishly walked over to the camp fire with Presea.

"So, what did annoying jerk make?"

"Shut it, brat. You're lucky I left you some curry." Zelos carelessly handed a bowl over to Genis. The rest of the group had almost finished. Presea ate her curry slowly. Genis was finished before Presea had even eaten half of her curry.

"A-are you okay, Presea?"

"Um, yeah, I am. Just not that hungry," Presea said quietly. Genis nodded in concern. "Well, since you're not done, um-"

"Why don'tcha look after Lloyd, my little rosebud?" interrupted Zelos. Genis fumed and glared at the chosen with fiery eyes.

"Um, c'mon Genis. Let's go over here, I think I hear some monsters over here," Colette suggested. Genis sighed and followed Colette. Zelos followed, his eyes fixed on the angel of Sylvarant.

"Presea?" Sheena half whispered/

"…yes?"

"Take good care of Lloyd, 'kay? His Scarlet Syndrome worries me."

"Don't worry Sheena. I'll take good care of him," Presea whispered back. Sheena smiled and left the small girl alone with her curry. Presea took her bowl of curry with her over to Lloyd. He was having a fitful sleep. The teen kept rolling around, fidgeting and sweating. Presea looked down to her feet. Her boots softly kicked the dirt. She knew that she should have pity for the boy. However, no tears, no pity would come. Only more self loathing.

"Nmph, ugh, daddy… it's so scary. Daddy, save me… please…" Lloyd murmured in his sleep. Presea leaned closer to the sleeping body. His deep breathing started to speed up.

"…can I… open eyes yet? …" Presea had never heard Lloyd talk in his sleep before. However, she had heard of this dream from Colette. She never imagined that it would be so disturbing in person.

"!" Lloyd started gasping for breath.

"Daddy… why… happened to mommy? …mommy? MOM!" Lloyd shot up from his nightmare, covered in sweat. His wide, bloodshot eyes stared Presea right in the eye. The girl was startled and pulled her body quickly backward, her breath escaping her.

"Lloyd, I, …are you okay?" Presea wasn't sure how to handle the situation. She had been a cold shell for such a long time that she had forgotten how to deal with humans. Lloyd shook his head, his cheeks tear stained and his hair was pressed to his face from his sweat. He started shacking uncontrollably and wrapped his arms around the small girl. Presea was startled by this. She hadn't been hugged since the day Alicia left home. It felt so …comforting? The small girl started to wrap her arms around the teen. She wasn't sure if she was doing it right, but Lloyd seemed to appreciate the gesture. He started to become stable and let go of Presea. Presea had a bewildered look on her face. Lloyd blushed slightly when he saw it. He had stopped crying, but his face was still red.

"Lloyd, what did you dream of?" Presea asked after a silence.

"I… it's a nightmare that I had a lot when I was little. But after defeating Kvar, I started to have it again. It's of my mom and my dad. We got attacked by desians, but then dad protects us. Mom however, disappears. Dad gets hurt and I feel the blood splatter on me. It burns me, and I start to cry. I'm suddenly so alone. I feel so cold. The world seems to end and I'm falling. While I fall to the darkness, I hear my mother screaming for death to come to her. It's just, so scary. It feels so real…"

"Lloyd, you… you're lucky," Presea said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"What, what does if feel like to dream?"

"What? You've never had a dream before?" Lloyd asked. He was thoroughly confused.

"The last time I had a dream was before the cruxis crystal. I don't remember what it feels like. I don't remember… feeling." Lloyd stared at Presea wide eyed. He placed his hand on her small, slender shoulder. "Lloyd, please, explain to me what fear is. I want to know so badly. I, I need to know!" Presea cried out. Her voice was exasperated. Lloyd closed his eyes in deep thought.

"O, okay then. Umm, close your eyes," Lloyd instructed. Presea did as she was told.

"Alright, now imagine that you take in a deep breath of cold air. You feel your throat start to close and your lungs feel like their shriveling up. There's something trying to devoir you, but you can't see what it is. You're stuck not move knowing that you're going to die. No one is coming for you. No one is going to rescue you. Everyone has left you. You're completely alone in the world, and soon you won't even be in the world. You're finally able to turn your head around so see that it's your father's ghost. He's so angry and upset with you. He hates you-"

"NO!" Presea shrieked. She opened her eyes and fell backwards to the soft dirt. The small girl was taking deep breaths and looked up at Lloyd. She was so confused. It seemed like she was truly alone and that all hope had dried up. Was that, fear? That awful sensation was fear. People feel this on a day to day basis? "How do they not loose hope?"

"What do you mean, Presea?"

"How do human beings not loose hope when fear is something that they encounter on a daily basis?" Lloyd smiled at the girl.

"I get scared a lot. But when I'm with my friends, I'm not scared anymore. Fighting Cruxis would be impossible without you guys. I would become frustrated and scared and I wouldn't know what to do next. You, Colette, Genis, the professor, Sheena, Zelos, Regal, Kratos: you guys give me so much strength. The strength I need to go on and overcome my fears and have hope." Presea nodded as she absorbed the information. Lloyd had fear, but he overcame it with the help of the people around him. He hid the fear and instead would be… happy?

"Thank you Lloyd."

"No problem! I'm glad I can help you out," he said happily.

"Wait… you said that all of us and _Kratos_ give you strength. He's a traitor. Do you still consider him a friend?"

"I… I don't know- I didn't mean to include him. It's probably because of that dream…" Lloyd whispered the last sentence he didn't want anyone to know about the hallucination he had. Presea nodded.

"But as I said, thank you. You have a talent to heal," Presea said. Lloyd didn't hear her and laid down into his bed slowly. Soon he was asleep once again.

"My time is moving again. You're helping me live it this time."

* * *

**Liked it? Hated it? Review it and get a Seles (Zelos' sister) or Drik cookie!**


	8. Goddess Tears

**Look! Another chapter! D**

**However, this chapter contains SPOILERS.**

**Let me say this again. THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SPOILERS. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT PASSED THE 'DOCTOR EVENT' IN THE GAME.**

**Understood? Good! Now let's go on with the Reviews! **

**Usagi-no-Kasai: Yup. I like adding Kratos in here and there. What does Seles taste like?  
Elenturi: I'm glad I wrote her to be in character. She was a little hard to work with.  
Ruby Tyra: GASP! You ate TWO cookies? (dun dun duuuun!) And I threw in something in here just for you!  
Killerbunbun: I'm glad I made you happy. Here, I'll give you a Seles cookie.  
Sage of Spirits: I also like Gesea. They're just so darn cute together! X3  
Arisu Tsuranu: I'm not gonna tell you how it ends! You'll have to wait and see. And yes, Anna HAS to be in ToS: KoR!  
Blackdemondragon: Sorry the update took so long. But you know, Spring Break and all.  
Li-Chan: I KNOW! Man, Dirk just scares me. XD  
OniHime: Yay for not lurking! And yes, Lloyd was very happy to hear that.  
Emeralwolf: I'm glad you like them! What parts should I work on? I'd really appreciate it if you told me, so then I can improve. **

**Disclaimer Zelos: Scaff doesn't own ToS. Or me. But she is gonna cosplay as my sexy self.**

* * *

Colette had looked after Lloyd that evening. She stared at the boy longingly the entire time until Sheena told her in an irritated voice that it was time for bed. The angel slowly walked to bed, but looked up at the night sky and took in the silence with joy. However, up above in Derris Kharlan, two voices were talking rapidly.

"I'm not about to go be your spy. Do your own dirty work!"

"Mi- Lord Yggdrasil doesn't want me to go down to Tethe'alla tonight. I'm concerned about him, Yuan."

"I don't give a crap about Lloyd. I'm not about to use my spare time to look a teenager have the flu."

"Yuan, I don't have the time or the patience. You will go down and make sure Lloyd is doing well, alright?"

"I got one question for you, Kratos: Why should I?"

"You owe me from that night in Altamira. Remember? You had a few too many drinks and started-"

"Th-that's enough! I'll do it, alright?" Yuan interrupted. The blue haired Seraph coughed, trying to hide his flustered state. Kratos smirked victoriously.

"Thank you Yuan," he said mokingly.

"Oh shut up." Yuan spun around and marched away from Kratos, his cape flowing behind him. He left Derris Kharlan quickly and flew down to Tethe'alla. The night sky's chill zoomed pass him unnoticed. The Seraph quickly spotted the group of sleeping youths. He floated down slowly until he could feel his feet hit the soft ground. The angel hid is wings and looked around at his surroundings. To his left he saw the dead campfire surrounded by logs. To his right was the group of six. Lloyd was the closest to Yuan. Around 50 meters away from him was Colette. She was sleeping peacefully on her back. A few meters away from her was Genis who slept on his side facing Presea. Yuan noticed that he positioned closer to Presea than to Colette. To the right of Presea was Sheena who had a soft smile on her face despite having Zelos' arm around her. The swordsman had no doubt moved himself to be right beside Sheena. Yuan shook his head with a smile on his face. Oh, young love.

Yuan walked silently to Lloyd until he was standing only an arm's length away from the teen. An ominous smile slowly crept on his face. He could take Lloyd's exsphere right then. He could give it to Mithos, but no. He would make sure it was given to the renegades and to be used to its full potential with them. Or… or he could use it to have Kratos do whatever he wanted. It was his precious wife, after all. Or better yet, he could take Lloyd. That boy would be the perfect hostage. Kratos wouldn't let anything happen to his only child, now would he? Yes, Lloyd was the perfect tool for him. And yet, Yuan didn't move. Why? What was stopping him from taking this important teen? _'Because Kratos is your best friend. He _trusts _you,' _a small voice whispered. He trusts Yuan? Well too bad for him. But, how was Yuan supposed to bring the boy back to the renegade base with him? He would certainly wake up during the flight and might wriggle out of Yuan's grasp. Besides, moving him had the possibility of making him even sicker, and possible death. It wasn't a chance Yuan would make. He could just take his exsphere then. Scarlet Syndrome was bad, but he wouldn't die from it. It would take a month for him to die, and Raine was probably away looking for a cure. She would be gone for a week at the most. _'You wouldn't do that to Kratos. That exsphere is Anna's sacrifice. That exsphere is all that remains of Kratos' wife,'_ the voice whispered again. Yuan ignored it. He would do as he pleased.

'_Do you really want to take it that way? With Lloyd completely unable to fight back? Don't you have any honor?'_ Yuan narrowed his eyes. It wasn't his fault that Lloyd had SS. Though, a fight would feel a little more rewarding. However, if you're handed a chance, you got to go for it, right?

'_Imagine the helplessness that Lloyd will feel when you kidnap his mother.'_ The Seraph shook his head. It wasn't his mother. She wasdead.

'_And this is all that she left. Well, other than an emotionally dead Kratos.'_ His eyes stared at the ground. He didn't want to be thinking about that. He had a mission to do.

'_Yeah, a mission for Kratos. Lloyd is all he has left, you know.'_

You think I don't know that? I have to do this for the renegades.

'_Lloyd is his only family.'_

Screw family, it made Kratos weak.

'_Imagine what Martel would say if she saw you know.'_

Shut up.

'_Would she cry? Like she did before she died?'_

Shut up.

'_She _would_ cry. She would hate what you've become.'_

"Shut up!!" Yuan spat. He took a step back, suddenly realizing that he said this aloud. He quickly glanced at Lloyd's face. It was in pain, but asleep. Yuan sighed in relief.

"What? I didn't say anything." Yuan spun around to see Zelos standing behind him, his arms crossed. "Why are you here?" asked the chosen.

"I heard that Lloyd was sick. I wanted to see how far along he was with my own eyes," Yuan answered with a level voice. Zelos smirked.

"From the sounds of it there was a little more going on than that." Yuan glared at Zelos.

"It is none of your concern," he said roughly.

"Oh, but it is. Lloyd's my bud. I should know what you're planning to do with him."

"That isn't a very good reason."

"Basically, tell me or I'll wake up the rest of us. I doubt you want to get your butt kicked by us. _Again_." Yuan scowled at this. He wasn't in the mood for this.

"Alright then. I'm contemplating about taking Lloyd's exsphere. I think you understand how important it is." Zelos nodded slowly.

"But if you want to break the mana links we'll need Lloyd's strength. He's really good, and if he couldn't fight, we would need someone to make sure he wouldn't get hurt. That's two people who aren't helping us fight. And quiet frankly, he need all the help we got," Zelos stated. Yuan glared at the redhead. Zelos was right.

"Why do you think I _didn't_ take his exsphere?" He snapped. Zelos threw his hands up in the air.

"Ooh, someone's in a bad mood!" He sang. Yuan's eyes narrowed.

"Just shut up and go back to bed. I still haven't finished examining Lloyd," Yuan ordered. Zelos raised an eyebrow but left the Seraph alone with Lloyd as he slipped back to bed. Yuan sighed. He gazed at Lloyd. It really was amazing how much he looked like Kratos. An idea suddenly sprang up in Yuan's head. He kneeled down beside Lloyd and softly moved his hair around to have it cover his left eye and flow downwards. The resemblance was almost scary. The Seraph suppressed his laughter. He was about to leave when he noticed something in Lloyd's fingers. A blue feather? Lloyd turned to his back though, hiding it from Yuan. He smiled and rose into the air for Derris Kharlan.

'_Martel would be proud.'_

**Oh, poor Yuan! XD Love it? Hate it? Review it! And this time, you will recieve an Altessa or Wonder Chef cookie! (Hurrah for Wonder Chef!!)**

* * *


	9. Raine's Return

**Aii!! I'm _So_ sorry about the delay. There's a lot of dialogue in this chapter, and I was trying to make it as good as possible. Again, so sorry about the wait!!**

**We love our reviews!  
Usagi-no-Kasai: Ooh, strawberries? eats Seles I'm glad you liked the inner conflict. I had a lot of fun writing it!  
Sliver of time: If she woke up she probably would've hit Zelos. Though, I am a Shelos fan. However, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!  
The Sage of Spirits: XD Thank you for the humourous review! I do kinda think of Yuan as a God Father, like Sirius Black in Harry Potter. Yeah? No? Eh heh heh...? And they could be sugar-free cookies if you want!  
Killerbunbun: ...thank you? XD I'm glad you like my fanfic.  
****Arisu Tsuranu: Yuan is a fun character to use. And there's nothing wrong with a little bit of sweets and strawberries. Hmm, how was Wonder Chef? Did he taste gourmet?  
Blackdemondragon: Yeah, I try to include Kratos where I can. And I also agree: Martel would be VERY proud. Aww, poor Yuan! XD  
Ruby Tyra: XD YAAAY! Yes, that Yuan chapter was for youuuu! He's so much fun to write!  
SilverMoon888: You can still have a Kratos cookie! gives I'm glad you love the story! Reviews like that make my day!  
Li-Chan: Oh noes! Yuan now has a bump on his head. XD  
OniHime: Yeah, Yuan is a poor lonely guy. Awww, so sad!! hugs I think that -spoiler- would leave Yuan with Lloyd. They are friends, right?  
Elenturi: I know!! They so need more scenes with each other!! And about Raine and Regal: what happens in Sybak, stays in Sybak. XD XD XD**

And a SPECIAL thanks to new reader An Angel With Clipped Wings for reviewing on EVERY chapter!! Thanks for all of the reviews!!

**Disclaimer Zelos: Scaff doesn't own Tales of Symphonia. If she did, there would be a Yuan and Kratos flashback scene.  
NOW LETS GET TO THE STORY!!**

* * *

Rays of light started to illuminate the still forest. Only few birds chirped their morning songs. The monsters of the forest did not stir, and neither did any of the six people in the forest clearing. Dreams danced in their heads as the sun started to rise. However, the picture perfect setting was soon disrupted. A Rheaird's engine broke the silence as it carefully landed. Colette was the first to wake. She rubbed her eyes and groggily rose to her feet. She looked at the Rheaird and her eyelids flew wide open. Raine and Regal had returned! She turned to Genis and shook him awake. "W-what are you doing Colette? Can't you see how early it is?" snapped the half-elf. Colette at a loss for words pointed at the Rheaird. Genis' eyes met his sister's and he leaped from under his blanket. "Sis!!" The boy ran over to his older sister. Raine was brushing some dust from her coat when she saw him. "Oh Genis! How are you?" she cried.

"I'm good. I missed you, sis!" said Genis. He wrapped his arms around Raine's body and hugged her tight. She smiled softly.

"How's Lloyd doing?"

"Not that great…" Genis said. He released his hug from Raine and pointed to Lloyd. He was tossing and turning violently.

"Then it's a good thing that we got here so soon," Regal said. Genis jumped at his voice. He had forgotten about Regal. By this time the rest of the group had awaken. All except Lloyd, that is.

"Thank Martel you're back!" Sheena called out.

"Thank you, Sheena. So has Lloyd been sleeping most of the time?" asked Raine.

"Yeah, he has been awake for a few conversations during the day though."

"He sometimes actually gets up," Zelos added. Raine 'hmm-ed' at this.

"Perhaps his exsphere is suppressing a more of the pain than we thought," Regal said to Raine. The healer nodded.

"But that's it?" she asked.

"Lloyd has coughed and vomited a few times. He is also experiencing hallucinations often," Presea informed. Raine gasped at this and took a step back.

"Wh-what?"

"Lloyd is already hallucinating?" Regal asked urgently.

"Yes, is something wrong?" Colette asked. Tears were starting to form in her eyes.

"Lloyd shouldn't be hallucinating until the second week," Raine said. "However, I have an idea of what is causing this. While Lloyd's exsphere is suppressing pain, it is also speeding up the illness. It's good that we diagnosed him as quickly as we did."

"What would happen next?" asked Genis.

"The stages are fatigue and coughing, second stage is hallucinations and vomiting, third is that he would regain his strength and appear to be healthy, but he would have a different personality. He would be cruel and heartless towards all he met, attempting to persuade them into suicide."

"That's disgusting… and disturbing," Sheena reflected.

"That is the nature of Scarlet Syndrome. It was originally designed as a virus to destroy other armies by psychological warfare. However, it got out of hand and developed into the Scarlet Syndrome we have today. I'll give him his medication now." Raine walked over to the sleeping boy with a vile of syrup. "Wh-, who's there?" Lloyd asked quietly.

"Shh, drink this, Lloyd. You'll feel better soon."

"Professor Raine?"

"Shh…" Raine hushed. Lloyd nodded and drank the syrup. It slide slowly down his throat and soon the teen was asleep again. The professor walked back over to the rest of the group. "So, how about I make us some breakfast? I thought of a great new recipe on the way back," Raine said.

"Uh, you know what? How about you guys rest and I'll make breakfast. You must have had a long trip," Sheena suggested. The rest of the group jumped on this idea immediately.

"Yeah! That's so thoughtful of you Sheena. That's a great idea," Colette said.

"Sexy _and_ sensitive! No wonder I'm so attracted you," Zelos grinned. Raine glared.

"You just don't like my cooking," she mumbled.

"No, it's not that!" Colette said.

"Yeah, it is that. Sorry sis, but your cooking sucks," Genis stated bluntly. Raine narrowed her eyes on the boy and hit him with a quick open palm. The young boy yelped. "Owww! That hurt!!"

"Don't speak to me like that," Raine snapped.

"Uh, hey! How does scrambled eggs sound to everyone?" Sheena asked, trying to change the subject. The rest of the group muttered a 'yeah' and soon they were sitting around the fire listening to Raine and Regal's time in Sybak. Genis had finished first and got up to clean off his plate when he noticed something.

Lloyd's bed was empty.

"Uh, guys?"

"Yes Genis?"

"Lloyd's gone."

"What?!" The rest of the group ran over to the empty spot. Lloyd was no where to be seen. Raine shook her head. "This is not good. He's probably gone reached the third stage. We should spit up and look for him. He won't have enough strength to fight physically, but will have dangerous psychological abilities. Don't listen to what he says," Raine informed. The rest of the group nodded and split up into the forest.

-- -- --

"Photon!" a bright burst of light pierced the giant grasshopper. She sighed and wiped some sweat from her forehead. "It's hard fighting on your own," she reflected.

"Want some help?" Raine turned to her right to see Lloyd. Her eyes light up.

"Lloyd! That's where you are. We've been looking for you."

"Hold on, 'We've' been looking for me? It looks like you're alone."

"Oh, yes. We split up to find you Lloyd. Why did you leave the rest of the group? It's very unlike you, Lloyd."

"Oh, I'm sorry professor. I woke up and felt a lot better, but kind of gross so I went to look for a pound to have a bath. I didn't want to disturb you guys," he answered calmly.

"That was irresponsible of you." Lloyd glared at his teacher.

"Why do you always do that? Why do you always look down at me? I try to be kind but no! Being a nice person means nothing to you. And it's not just me. You look down at Colette, Genis, everyone!" Lloyd shouted. Raine tilted her head to the side.

"Lloyd, I don't think that's fair of you to say that," she said in a warning tone.

"Heh, that's just like you. You really are a dictator. You act as if your word is the law. If anyone disagrees with you they must be wrong and punished!"

"Don't you _dare_ use that language with me, Lloyd! I don't care if you are feeling weak from your illness, you are in big trouble!" roared Raine.

"What are you going to do? Spank me? Face it Raine, you can't discipline me anymore. You can't stand that you're a weakling. But it's not like you can help it. Desians are weak anyway." Lloyd spewed out the last sentence laced with venom. Raine twitched and swallowed down her tears.

"Y-you aren't in your normal state of mind. It's the Scarlet Syndrome. Those aren't your words," Raine said, mostly for her benefit. She didn't want to believe Lloyd's words. It pained her to see her student laugh ominously.

"Oh no! Did I hit a soft spot? The same kind of hurt I felt when I found out that you had been deceiving us this entire time?"

"But Lloyd, don't you remember? You said that it didn't matter if Genis and I were half elves or not."

"That's because we needed you to heal our wounds for us until Zelos learned some better healing techniques. That's right. We used you like how you used us for protection. You and Genis just kept on feeding off of us, giving nothing but misfortune in return. You and Genis are parasites!" screamed Lloyd. He glared at the weak professor. Raine folded her arms and lowered her head.

"This isn't Lloyd, this isn't Lloyd," she whispered to herself. A grim smile spread across Lloyd's face and he slide closer to the silver-haired maiden. He whispered in her ear.

"Face it Raine, you're scum."

Tear stained eyes looked up to the possessed teen. She held out her arm towards her pupil.

"Lloyd, please-"

"Augh!! Don't touch me, filth!" the boy cried, jumping back. Suddenly a small cry slipped out of his lips. The swordsman fell over forwards unconscious leaving the healer in confused tears.

* * *

**Ah ha ha! You guys must all hate me right now for ending it there!! XD This was originally going to be the last chapter, but MAN IS IT LONG!! Oh well! Loved it? Hated it? Saw a mistake in it? REVIEW IT!! And this time, get a Summon Spirit cookie!! (is running out of people to cookie. XD)**

**I'll have the next chapter up soon, I promise! - Scaff**


	10. Final Thoughts

**I can't believe it! This fanfic it almost finished! -le gasp!- See? I told you guys this chapter would be up soon! Yay!!**

**We all love reviews!  
Blackdemondragon: Poor Raine is right! Thanks for reviewing!  
Sliver of Time: I actually haven't read that many evil fanfics. It's interesting to see Lloyd like this.  
killerbunbun: Wow, cookie addicted? XD here you go!  
Sage of Spirits: Cruxis Lloyd senses? I've never heard of those before! XD  
Scattle: You got me, I admit Raine isn't usually like that. And your first review on this story! Glad I FINALLY got you to read it. XD  
Arisu Tsuranu: What can I say? Writing about Evil Lloyd just brings out the evil in me. XD  
Angel With Clipped Wings: Uh oh, Kratos looks pretty mad at you! You better run!!  
Ruby Tyra: I've updated soon this time! XD Hope you like it.  
Usagi-no-Kasai: I like surprising people. I'm glad you support my darker writing. I find that I can go a little darker with Raine because of her maturity level.  
Li-Chan: Aww, it's okay! You can gripe. I don't mind.  
SilverMoon: Shadow seems like a popular cookie choice. Interesting... -eats a shadow cookie-  
Elenturi: I aim to frighten! XD Spelling mistakes, huh? Damn word! I'll have to go looking for those. Thanks for pointing it out!**

**Disclaimer Zelos: Scaff doesn't own Tales of Symphonia. If she did, there would be more Zelos backstory.**

* * *

"I dare you to kiss him."

"What? You've got to be kidding me!"

"What ever happened to 'Zelos, the man who _never_ backs down from a dare'?"

"Well, I didn't mean one like that. Come on, Sheena!"

"Hey, I think he's waking up!"

"Mm?" Lloyd's eyelids fluttered open. Around him was the entire group, all leaning towards him. His brown eyes scanned his surroundings. He was in a forest and it was mid-day. Why was he asleep? Lloyd gasped as he suddenly remembered what had happened for the last 3 days. He looked over to Raine. She lowered her eyes and looked away. Genis' voice snapped him out of his melancholy thoughts.

"So, do you feel better?"

"Actually, yeah. I do! I feel 110 percent!" Lloyd announced happily. He sat up and grinned at his friends. Colette cheered.

"Thank Martel you're feeling better! But don't push yourself, okay? I don't want you to suddenly feel sick again."

"Stop worrying about it, Colette. If I say I'm better, than I'm good to go, okay?"

"Yeah! I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize," Lloyd groaned. The rest of the group laughed. Sheena offered him a hand to help him stand up. Lloyd happily took it and got up to his feet. "Yup, I'm all good. All though, I do feel a little sore."

"Mm, it's probably from fainting," Regal stated.

"Fainting?"

"Yes, Raine said that when the medicine finally took affect, your exsphere increased the speed of recovery and out your body into shock. As a result of that, you fainted," Regal explained. Lloyd nodded. He half understood the explanation, but he was pretty sure Raine hadn't said anything about their… conversation. The teen sighed in relief.

"All right everyone, give Lloyd some room. I'll heal his soreness and any other aliments he may have. I think it would be in our best interest to enter the Temple of Earth early tomorrow morning. Seeing as it will be dark soon, I suggest that Presea starts preparing dinner now and everyone else can have some down time, away from Lloyd. Understand?" Raine commanded. She looked straight in the eye with hard eyes.

"Y-yes Raine!" The group split off leaving Raine alone with Lloyd. The half elf turned her attention to Lloyd.

"Do you mind being healed by an inferior being?" Lloyd winced at the last part of her question. His fingers fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I, I don't see you that way. Really! I didn't mean anything I said before." Silence echoed in the forest.

"I, I don't know were those words came from. I swear I'm not like that. I can't stand myself for saying it. I respect you, professor!" Raine's sad expression stayed static. Lloyd took a step closer to her.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'd never use you! You aren't a parasite! You're my teacher! You're my companion, my friend, you're like a mother to me. When I said those things, I didn't mean them. I didn't want to say it, but I couldn't help it, no matter how hard I tried. It wasn't me talking. It was me," Lloyd threw himself to the healer. The boy started shaking and tears fell on Raine's back. He clenched Raine's jacket tightly and buried his face into her shoulder. The silver haired maiden patted his back affectionately.

"You understand the consequences for your words?"

"Yes! Yes!! I didn't want to say it, but I did. I'm so weak!" cried Lloyd.

"On the contrary Lloyd; you are strong. To be able to admit your mistakes and accept the consequences for what an illness did to you, it requires a great amount of courage."

"Do you forgive me?" the boy squeaked through tears. The half elf took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes, I do."

-- -- --

Presea prepared risotto for the party that evening. The group talked animatedly around the fire. Lloyd was having a conversation with Colette and Zelos about what vegetable everyone would be.

"I think Genis would be a really smart vegetable," Colette said.

"I don't think vegetables can be smart," sighed Lloyd.

"Not true!! I've heard that a tomato has an IQ of 25!"

"…you aren't serious, are you?"

"The brat would be a brussel sprout. It's short, annoying and they look like alien brains," Zelos said triumphantly.

"What about Sheena?"

"It has to be something sexy, hot and possibly deadly," Zelos muttered.

"An eggplant!" Colette said happily.

"What? Why an eggplant?" Lloyd asked.

"No, I see it too. If you turn it upside down it can have a heavy chest!"

"And it's purple! Sheena always wears purple!" Colette explained. Lloyd shook his head, grinning. He gazed at everyone around the fire. Across from him was Regal. He always seemed to have such a serious face. However, the story he told Lloyd was so carefree. Lloyd was glad that he had seen his soft heart. To Regal's left was Genis. He was a brilliant kid and a great friend. Lloyd was proud to be able to call him his friend. Beside Genis was Presea. Usually she kept to herself at meals, but tonight she was softly smiling at Genis. It seemed that she was slowly regaining her humanity. Sheena was sitting next to the small girl. Her raven hair was let down this evening. Lloyd wondered about her relationship with Zelos. Speaking of Zelos… Lloyd blushed suddenly as he looked at Zelos. He quickly pushed away his memory his hallucination and looked to his left. Colette was smiling at something Raine had said. She really was an angel. At the thought of angels, Lloyd looked up at the sky. Even though the sun hadn't completely set yet he could still see some stars. _Kratos… I don't think you can really be our enemy. I can just feel it…_

"So we're going to totally dominate the Temple of Earth, right Lloyd?" Sheena asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah! There's no stopping us! Temple of Earth, here we come!" Lloyd cried, punching the sky.

"Yeah!!"

* * *

**I can't believe this is over!! I loved writing this fanfic so much. It was a great way to pass time and I found it a great way to practice my writing. I got to experiment with many different characters, settings and scenarios.**

**A BIG thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited this story and/or put it on their story alert list. It means a lot to me that you enjoyed it! All reviews from now on will be answered via messages.**

**This was a great experience. Thank you, everyone!**

**Scaff**


End file.
